


Echoes of a Stranger

by Fishenod



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, Blood, Fluff, I will be killing stuff, Maybe Romance???, Older Frisk, POV First Person, Probably won't be killing anyone major, Spoilers, Told through Frisk's eyes, Violence, gender neutral protagonist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-10
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5134763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishenod/pseuds/Fishenod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I did bad things, but I never knew how or why. </p><p>I didn't know the answers to my questions laid in a world that I thought only existed in my dreams. </p><p>Only I discovered that those weren't dreams, but nightmares.</p><p>WARNING: WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Mentions of animal death, blood, and violence. This story will be equal parts dark violence and fwoofy fuwa fluff. 
> 
> Hey guys! I decided to attempt NaNoWriMo against my better judgment. Since I've been pretty into Undertale as of late, I decided to do a retelling of the story. Main protag is still Frisk, but aged to late teens. This chapter is mostly exposition since I'm building the world a little bit differently to set up for all the wild adventures to come. Enjoy the ride! 
> 
> Also, I will do very minimal proofreading so I can churn the words out, so I apologize for any errors. I'll go back at the end of November (or if I got some spare time during Thanksgiving) to fix them all.
> 
> No major spoilers this chapter yet so no worries about that!

I’ve always been alone.

I always tried to be nice and do good things. I shared my toys, my pencils, and my books with other kids in class. I could talk about anything and listen when I needed to. I enjoyed listening to music and reading, and I kept up with all the most recent TV shows.

But somehow, without realizing it, I did bad things.

When I was 8 years old, I had disappeared for a period of time while on a camping trip at Mt. Ebott. Soon, rumors of a local legend surfaced. It spoke of kids being whisked away to another world inside the mountain, never to be seen again. Most people passed it off as old folk superstition and the gorgeous mountains became a popular camping ground, but after my disappearance, the local elderly population began yammering about it again, chastising the younger generation for its foolishness. 

For months, my family, neighbors, and town searched for me. Then, one day, as sudden as I had disappeared, I reappeared with no recollection of what had happened. The police asked me if I remembered my kidnapper’s face, but I didn’t remember a kidnapper at all. That was nearly 10 years ago. My parents don’t like to talk about it, so after a year of questions and prodding, I dropped the matter and just continued on with life.

After that incident, I blanked out a lot more. There would be spaces in my memory where I don’t recall what I do or say. My mom eventually had me see a psychologist after an incident where I smashed a whole colony of snails living in the fern bush in our front lawn. She found me surrounded by crushed shells and frothing bodies, armed with a shovel and a salt shaker. I only remembered her horrified expression as she asked me, “What have you done?”

I didn’t know how to answer her.

My psychologist, Dr. Macy, was nice. She asked me many things and I never quite knew how to answer her. There were many things I couldn’t remember. She listened patiently though and said a lot of things that go over my head. But I did try to take her advice and make more friends.

There was a boy in class named Stevie Martins. He sat next to me and was always reading under the table during class. I wasn’t as daring, but I certainly loved books too. Stevie was more than thrilled to introduce me to the newest series that he was hooked on and soon, we bonded over adventures in fantasy worlds filled with magical creatures and fantastic mysteries.

My friendship with Stevie was short lived, however. Shortly before summer vacation started for that year, Stevie and I got into a fight. It was over something stupid and childish that I couldn’t remember, but the next thing I knew, he was on the ground, crying and cradling his rapidly swelling cheek.

The same day, Stevie’s mom called mine and forbid me from ever talking to Stevie again.

I was moved to the opposite side of the room during class and cast aside. My classmates avoided me and I always felt a chill settle whenever I was around. Eventually, I stopped trying to talk to the other kids. My reputation carried over to the next school year, so I focused on my books instead. Dr. Macy kept gently encouraging me to make friends but I told her no one would talk to me. During one the sessions, I spaced out and only refocused when I heard Dr. Macy stammering over her words, trying to form coherent sentences. I left that session confused and tired.  

I started getting bullied towards the end of elementary school. Some tough kids had heard about what I did to Stevie Martins and sought me out.

The first time it happened, I was eating lunch in the corner of the playground, reading a novel my dad gotten me for my birthday. All of a sudden, my book was snatched out of my hand and I looked up to a group of snickering older kids, my book dangling from the leader’s hand. She regarded my book with disgust, as if it was something yucky that she had picked out of the garbage. I had only heard rumors about Deborah Wong. She was one of the prettiest girls in the sixth grade class and was always followed around by her admirers. She was also one of the meanest people around, taking advantage of her popularity to pick on others.

With a wrinkled nose, she declared, “Eww. Books. Perfect for little worms.” Her friends laughed as she threw my novel on the ground and smeared it into the dirt with her shoe. I just watched, too shocked to do anything. She flipped her curls over her shoulder and walked away, leaving me in the dust. My book was ruined, with pages torn and dirtied. I picked it up anyways, attempted to straighten the pages and brushed off some of the dirt. I knew I shouldn’t fight back, so I bit my lip and finished my lunch.

The second time, I spent most of my lunch time trying to wash ketchup out of my hair and clothes. As I left the bathroom, I sighed quietly at my grumbling stomach glanced at my ruined lunch in the trash can.

The third time, I bit back tears as the school nurse patched up my scraped up knees. I lied and told her I had tripped on a crack in the asphalt. The nurse tutted and told me to be more careful in the future. When I walked out, Deborah was waiting with her friends. They giggled at the pads of gauze on my knees before sauntering away.

The fourth time, I remember peering fearfully into the garden sink filled to the brim with dirty water, head already drenched and lungs burning. The gravel in the dirt dug into my knees as Deborah forced my head back down into the tub again. When I came to my senses again, Deborah was on the ground screaming with her right arm bent in a direction that was not normal.

I was suspended for a week. I saw Deborah once more after she was out of the hospital and she was so terrified that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room as me. I was only kept from expulsion because my mom pleaded, saying I was acting in self-defense. She pulled me from that school and I finished the rest of my last year of elementary school at home. For middle school, she sent me to one the next town over.

Dr. Macy continued to see me, but I noticed wariness in her eyes. It was the same sort of wariness that the other kids had in their eyes as they avoided eye contact with me. Soon, I asked my mom if I could stop going to the sessions. My mom was very worried but I assured her nothing will happen again. She didn’t believe it – I could see it in her eyes – but she relented and pulled me from the sessions as well.

I withdrew from people even more and went to my books. I wasn’t unhappy by any means. I loved reading, and I started writing too. I always had weird dreams that made for interesting stories.

Sometimes I was in a snowy land full of rabbits and overly excited dogs. Other times I would wake up shivering because in my dreams I was in a fiery land and the waking world was far colder.

My days were filled with reading and story-writing. I started watching TV and listening to music. Things went back to normal and I had no more incidents. I didn’t make a single friend in middle school.

In high school, I started learning how to cook. It filled my days with more to do and eased a load off of my busy parents. They smiled at me more and I thought I had gotten over the worst of it.

One day, I spaced out again while making dinner. I came to my mom standing behind the kitchen counter, asking me what I was doing with the knife. I had brandished it in her direction, gripping it until my knuckles turned white. This time, I remembered my response.

“It’s not sharp enough.”

After that, things started to get worse again. I would constantly find myself in the kitchen without knowing how I got there, the whole collection of kitchen knives laid out before me.

There was a small stray dog that frequented our neighborhood. Some of the families would leave our scraps for the poor thing, including ours. I really liked to feed the dog and always looked out for it. It had matted white fur and its left ear stayed floppy all the time. I don’t think I recalled a time I didn’t see its tongue hanging out.

The next time I saw the dog, its white fur was matted with blood, and that same blood coated my hand and the kitchen knife clutched in my hand. I dropped the knife and ran into my house, ripping out a trash bag before rushing back outside. I stuffed the dog and knife into the bag and threw it into our trash bin, thinking how lucky trash day was tomorrow. I hosed down the sidewalk before walking back into the house.

As the front door closed, I realized how calmly I had cleaned up after killing an innocent dog. I ran to the bathroom just in time to empty all the contents of my stomach. Bloody handprints covered the toilet seat and black spots started to cover my vision. I was hyperventilating.

I focused on breathing, in, out, in, and back out. Eventually, I calmed down enough to get up onto shaky legs. I took a good look into the mirror and whispered, “Who are you?”

Later that night, when my mom asked me where one of the knives went, I caught myself before saying, “It was too sharp.”  

I did bad things, and I never knew how or why.

I drew back into myself after that incident, keeping myself hyper aware of everything I did. I focused especially when I was near a knife, afraid of what I would do it I allowed myself to be loose.

My dreams also started to change. Frequently, I found myself in a dark tunnel. It would continue on for a long time without end. Eventually, I would see light and run towards it. Each time I left, I see a vast mountain and forest spread out before me.

It took me a couple weeks of the same dream to realize that I was looking at Mt. Ebott.

Somehow, it felt like the answer to my questions would be there. But my parents have refused to even mention it ever since my disappearance, so I knew I couldn’t ask them to take me. The dreams persisted and my curiosity grew. I had a driver’s license, so I looked up the distance from my house to Mt. Ebott. Two hours was not far, so I made plans to go.

My parents worked from morning to evening, so I knew I had enough time to go there and come back without them finding out. When I left the house in the morning, I took a turn towards the freeway instead going down the main street to school.

The two hours passed quickly. It was calming to drive and watch the passing scenery from my peripheral. When I saw the peaks of Mt. Ebott in the distance, I felt excitement stirring in me. I pulled up into the one of the parking spots at the campgrounds and got out of the car. I made sure to lock the car before venturing into the woods.

My feet carried me along, the sound of crinkling leaves beneath becoming background noise. It was only after walking for half an hour that I realized that I had no idea where I was going, yet my feet kept going. Something was tugging at me and I continued to listen to that intuition. 

Minutes turned into hours. In the back of my mind, I thought about how I would not be able to make it back in time for dinner. I kept forging ahead, spurred on by the strange sense of determination within me.

Eventually, I reached a jagged outcrop. I didn’t realize I had climbed up a portion of the mountain and was greeted with a stunning view. Golden flowers were scattered across the ground, catching the light of the setting sun.

“Wow…” I breathed, walking forward. It was so beautiful, yet something filled me with anticipation. Something impure, something ominous.

The wind whistled in my ear, carrying unintelligible whispers. My instincts were at war, screaming at me to run while beckoning me to stay. I shivered and turned the sun to my back.

Only my foot stepped onto nothing and I found myself plummeting into a dark pit. I grasped for something, anything, to keep myself from falling, but all I managed to grabbed was a broken branch.

My screams were swallowed by the inky void and the last thing I heard were the echoes of a gleeful giggle.

 


	2. Butterscotch and Cinnamon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mild violence
> 
> Oh man look at me, updating so fast. Don't expect it to keep up. I'm really lousy at consistency. :') 
> 
> Story is picking up now that Frisk is in the Underground!

I came to awareness with a muffled buzzing in my head. The darkness was suffocating, dragging me down as I fought to break through. There was a dull throb pulsing through my body and I knew I had somehow survived the fall. Slowly, the rest of my senses returned, and with it, agonizing pain.

A strangled noise escaped my lips when the full force of my senses hit me. I tried to get up and cried out at the spike of pain that shot through my left leg. I halted in my attempt to sit up. My heart rate sped up as I wrestled with my lungs to draw breath. The murky darkness threatened to pull me back, so I concentrated on stabilizing my breathing. The pain didn’t fade, but at least my head stopped reeling.

I opened my eyes, adjusting to the dim light in the area. It was then that I noticed the scent in the air. I turned my head to the side carefully, as to not exacerbate my injuries, and was face full with large golden blossoms, the same ones carpeting the forest floor. The bright color of the flowers was soothing to see and filled the air with a warm fragrance. I closed my eyes again, letting the calm flow through me. Although it seemed farfetched, the flowers must have broken some of my fall.

A sudden chill jerked me from my reverie and I whimpered from agitating my injured leg. I knew I had to sit up to assess the damage. On shaking arms, I slowly raised my sore upper body, biting back screams from moving my leg. My head swam with the nauseating pain and some twisted part of my mind wondered if this was what Stevie and Deborah felt when I hurt them.

Finally, I was sitting up and I got to take a good look at my leg, though I immediately regretted it. I swallowed down the bile that was rising in my throat and looked away. Yellow was a better color on the flowers. At least my leg was intact, but I knew walking on it was not a possibility.

“H-!” I tried to yell, but my voice caught in my throat. I coughed, moaning when my body and leg ached.

“H-Help! Somebody!” I cried again, listening to my voice echo through the cavern. Dread crashed down on me. Was I stuck here? Did anyone hear me? Will anyone ever come by? Is this where I die?

 _Why did I come here?_ I thought miserably as I opened my mouth to cry, “Please! Anyone!” My voice cracked at the end. “Please…”

I heard a rustle and my head shot up. Glancing desperately around the cavern, I called out, hopeful. “Hello? Is someone there?”  

Movement caught my eye and my gaze was drawn forward. One of the flower bulbs was moving and my breath caught in my throat. Gradually, it rose upwards, unfurling its petals and leaves.

“Howdy!” A happy voice rang out. I started at the greeting, blinking with wide eyes. The flower before me had a face spread into a wide smile. If I wasn’t mistaken, it had just talked as well.  

“H-Hi?” I said uncertainly.

The flowers smiled grew wider as it chirped, “I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower! Gosh, I haven’t seen you around these parts. Are you new to the Underground?”

I definitely had no idea what it was talking about and I let it know just that. Unperturbed, the cheerful flower continued, “Golly, you must be confused! Worry not, I’m your resident guide to the Underground! I can tell you everything you want to know about this place! I’m sure you’ll be super surprised!” It does a little dance. “Everything is run by magic! Isn’t that exciting? Plus…well, actually, it’s easier to just show you, rather than explain it. May I?”

“Um, sure?” The pain was starting to numb and I was threatening to pass out again. I wondered if any of this was real. Talking flowers? Magic? This seemed like something straight of my dreams. But dreams didn’t hurt this much. And the nice little flower (real or not) was offering to help. If magic was real, maybe the flower had a way of healing me or finding someone to help me out of this mess.

Flowey did another little dance and a few of its petals drifted out, floating lazily towards me. Confused, I watched the petals dance in the light.

“These are ‘friendliness pellets’! Part of living down here depends on fostering each individual’s soul by sharing LOVE between each other! These pellets are but one way you can share LOVE!” Flowey winked, eyes glinting. “Try touching one! You’ll perk right up!”

As I reached for a pellet, my vision blurred for a second and a voiced filled my head.

**_You’re really stupid, aren’t you?_ **

Gasping, I retracted my hand and the petal fluttered to the ground.

“Hey, what’s up? Why did you withdraw your hand?” I looked at Flowey. It was still smiling, but the glint in its eyes unsettled me. “Don’t you want to see my magic at play?”

“Um.” Warning signals blared in my head and remnants of the phantom voice lingered. “I-I…uh…”

“Let’s try again, shall we?” Flowey interrupted, waving a leaf and sending a few more petals my way.

My instincts screamed louder than the pain coursing through my body and I dived off to the side to avoid the incoming pellets. My leg pulsated in protestand I couldn’t help the scream that escaped. My pants resounded loudly in my head and I almost missed Flowey’s next words.

“You.” My head shot around to face the flower. Flowey’s friendly face was gone, a horrifying mask in its place. Its grin took on a menacing edge, revealing sharp teeth as it widened. Beady eyes peered right through me and my stomach dropped. I was in great danger. That fear spurred me to start dragging my broken body away.

“You know what’s going on, don’cha?” I whipped my head back around, focusing only on getting away, as far away as I could.

Sharp pains pierced my back and I yelped in shock. I braced my torso with shaking arms as I pitched forward in agony, heart rate accelerating from the burst of adrenaline.

“Oh no, you aren’t getting away.” I looked up, scream dying in my throat with the full brunt of Flowey’s terrifying expression before me. “You don’t get to deprive me of my fun.”

My head was spinning again and fatigue threatened to topple me. My hand stumbled across something sharp and my fingers reflexively curled around it.

“Good bye.” Flowey’s voice was cheerful in stark contrast to its face.

My mind went blank as another wave of petals shot towards me. I felt the strangest sensation of losing control of my body as the hand clutching the stick was raised and slammed down.  

“ _That’s no good. We just met again.”_

I was speaking, but it was neither through my will nor voice.

My eyes trailed downwards to see the stick stabbing a petal into the ground. In the back of mind, I realized this must be one of my episodes and it was the first time I was cognizant of it. I was battling to hold onto that awareness, however, as my mind slipped in and out of focus.

Flowey’s grin melded into an expression of shock. “N-no way. Is it really you? Did you really return? Haha. Hahah. Hahahaha!” It dissolved into peals of demented laughter. I raised my head back up. “Even after so many years, we are still inseparable!”

Before it could say more, however, a sudden barrage of flames descended. I flinched away from the heat as Flowey screeched. I collapsed as my mind cleared in time to see Flowey making a hasty retreat. As it shrunk back into the ground, our eyes met.

“I will be seeing you. Let’s destroy everything in this wretched world.” Flowey promised.

Then, it was gone.

An unsettling quiet settled on the cavern, punctuated by the sounds of my heavy breathing. I was fighting a losing battle with my eyes as the adrenaline drained from my system. My leg was searing now and my whole body stung worse than before.

“It’s alright now, dear. I’ll protect you.” A melodious voice drifted into my ear, but I couldn’t make out its owner with my blackening vision.

For some reason, my muffled mind filled with thoughts of butterscotch, cinnamon, and warm fires, and I let the darkness claim me once again.

 

* * *

 

 

During the winter time, my mom would give me a large quilt to sleep with when the nights were chillier. Nothing was better than waking up snuggled in those warm, soft covers.  Occasionally, she would make pancakes and the smell of cinnamon would waft into my room. Those mornings were the best and I always felt most content waking up like that.

I awoke with that memory fading from my mind, though the feeling lingered. My eyes blinked open and I gazed around in wonder. I was in a comfortable bed in a quaint little room, enveloped in a fluffy fur cover. A pleasant tingle danced through my body as I sank deeper into it. Just as I was about to drift back to sleep, my thoughts and memories caught up with reality and my eyes flew back open.

I sat up in bed with a start. This wasn’t my room. I threw the covers aside and gazed down at my leg. The injury had been patched up and was no longer hurting at all. I stretched my hand to my back, fingers frantically feeling for injuries and only grazing over more bandages. Come to think of it, my whole body felt wonderful. Maybe a little stiff, but I felt well-rested without any traces of the pain from before.

A flash of yellow in the corner startled me, but it was only a yellow blossom in a vase. I stared for a little longer, expecting it to animate and try to kill me again, but it remained still. I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as a small knock sounded at the door.

I gave no answer, but the person let themselves into a room shortly after. I realized they weren’t actually a person, but a creature covered from head to toe in silky white fur, with a snout, long ears, and little horns atop their head. They were garbed in royal purple robes decorated in silver trimmings with a shield emblem adorned over the chest. Their large eyes blinked several times, showing off long eyelashes. Their floppy ears gave what I thought looked like a happy twitch, since their mouth pulled into a toothy grin. I noted that they also had sharp teeth, but I didn’t feel threatened by this creature’s presence.

“Oh hello, deary! Feeling better?” the creature asked, coming up along my bedside. I gave a small nod.

“Oh lovely! Are you up for any butterscotch pie? Oh my, do you like butterscotch? I don’t even know if you like butterscotch. What about cinnamon? Oh no, do you like butterscotch and cinnamon? I didn’t think to ask, but I don’t want to make you eat something you don’t want.”

“I-It’s alright!” I managed to find my voice and offered a small smile. The creature reminded me a little of my mom, right down to the voice. With that association in my head, I felt more relaxed around her. “I…I would love some pie.”

“Let me bring in a slice. Hold on. Oh!” The creature was halfway out the turn when she turned back around. “My name is Toriel. Let me know if you need anything else.”

She returned a few minutes later with the pie and a glass of juice on a bed tray table. The aroma wafted around the room, making my stomach grumble. Toriel chuckled at the sound and gently set the table down over me. “It’s hot. Be careful.”

“Thank you.” I picked up the fork cautiously, poking at the pie. A worrisome thought crossed my mind and I set the fork back down. I glanced up at Toriel warily and she seemed to understand.

“You may not trust me, after that ordeal. It’s alright.” She sat down and regarded me with a patient look. “Do you have any questions?”

“Where am I?” I asked, giving the room another look over. I did feel at peace in this room, nostalgic even, but my encounter with Flowey was still fresh in my mind. Looks can be deceiving.

“This is my house. And this is a spare room I have. I keep the sheets fresh and everything clean for any humans that happen to fall down. I don’t really get visitors in this part of the Underground so it’s nice to have the company.”

“Humans?”

Toriel looked bemused. “Yes. Deary, you probably noticed, but I’m not exactly a human. Nor was that flower.” I gave an involuntary shudder at the mention. “Here in the Underground, we monsters make our homes.”

I blinked. “Monsters? Do you…” I tried to remember what Flowey told me. “...can you do magic?”

“But of course. All monsters can do magic. I use flame magic. That’s how I chased off that flower. I also know a little bit of healing magic, so I fixed you up.” Toriel’s smile fell. “Not everyone is nice in the Underground. There are some very violent monsters that actively hunt others. Some of them…”

I looked up when Toriel stopped talking. She pursed her lips and continued hesitantly, “Some of them hunt humans. Asgore…” She spat vehemently, “He is the King and one such monster. He has not spared any human that has come down to the Underground. But I refuse to believe in his ideals, so I ran away to here. I look for humans that may fall from above and nurse them back to health.”

“Are they still here?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Toriel hesitated once again, meeting eyes with me. “You’re older than the other humans that have fallen down here,” she stated. “The others before you were younger, more naïve. I withheld information on Asgore because I thought I could convince them to stay without telling them so. But six children have come through, all six have left, and none of them have ever returned. You’re old enough to understand, aren’t you?” A smile ghosted her lips. “That if you leave this place, you will meet Asgore and your end. But if you stay here, I can promise that I will take care of you and that you will come to no harm. I have food and lodgings. The monsters in the Ruins here are pretty friendly. You’ll be comfortable here.” She eyed me with such an earnest look that I had to break eye contact.

“I’m not sure if I can-”

“Just think about it.” She interrupted, “Please? At least while you heal.”

I met her eyes again before offering a small smile. I ducked my head down and focused back on the pie. I looked again at her and received an encouraging smile. Picking up the fork again, I took a small piece and stuffed it in my mouth. Warm butterscotch melted on my tongue and I felt a distant memory stir in me.

“I wouldn’t mind if this was poisoned. What a lovely way to go out,” I joked, taking another bite. “It’s delicious.”  

“I’m glad!” Toriel beamed. “Once you finish, get more rest ok? My magic can only do so much. You need rest to fully heal. Do you need anything else?” She eyed me, but I just shook my head.

“No. I’m good. Th-thank you.” I rubbed my arms. “For everything. For, um, taking me in, and feeding me, and for taking care of me.”

Toriel opened her mouth to say something. I looked up and saw something melancholic in her expression. The memory stirred again and my mouth went dry. As I tried to figure out how to phrase my question, Toriel spoke again. “You’re welcome. Get well soon, deary.”

“It’s Frisk.” I swallowed. “My name is Frisk.”

Toriel regarded me with twinkling eyes. “Frisk. What a lovely name. It’s nice to meet you, Frisk.”

She bustled out of the room, leaving me to my pie. Slowly, I took another bite. I chewed thoughtfully, savoring the flavor and enjoying the growing warmth in my belly. The feeling of familiarity lingered, but as I relaxed, I brushed it off as nostalgia from those winter mornings in bed with pancakes. I washed down the last of the pie with the glass of juice and sat back, letting the food sink in.

A few minutes passed when I realized I needed to use the bathroom. I didn’t really want to hold it in but wondered if this house even had a bathroom. Did Toriel use a bathroom? Was that a thing for monsters?

Not wanting to shout, I carefully shifted my legs over the edge of the bed. I gingerly set my leg foot on the ground and tested my weight on it. It was a little stiff and uncomfortable, but not painful. Satisfied that I could walk on it, I made my way to the door. I poked my head out and surveyed the hallway. It was quaint, like my room, with paintings, flowers, and mirrors. There were sounds coming from my right, so I crossed the threshold and headed towards it. I passed by the foyer and noticed a set of stairs descending into the basement. I paused, peering over the railing.

Suddenly, I was barraged by a stream of memories. Images flew through my mind, each too fast to grasp clearly. Butterscotch pie, candy on a pedestal, yellow flowers, little frogs, vines, pillars. Seeing my childhood face in a mirror. Toriel’s smiling face and Toriel’s cold grimace. Fire surrounding me, a knife in my hand. Blood. Betrayal reflected in eyes losing their light, and a long tunnel with Flowey at the end. It greeted you with its malicious grin, eyes completely black.

_“Everyone, everything in these worthless memories…let’s turn them all to dust.”_

I jolted back to reality with a gasp, clutching onto the railing in a death vice. At some point, I had fallen onto my knees. I glanced around the room, trying to see if it was some magic trick. But those flashes were so vivid, so real. They had to have been real.

I’ve been here before. I’ve met Toriel and Flowey before.

And I’ve killed before.

“Frisk? What's wrong?” Toriel’s voice broke me out of my trance and my head whipped up in surprise. Concerned marred her face as she knelt down in front of me. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah. Yeah…” I pulled myself to my feet. I saw the questions on her face, but swallowed down my own. Instead, I asked, “Um, where’s the bathroom?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the story is still pretty serious right now, but the fluff and fun is coming. I can't wait until I get to Sans and Papyrus! :')
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciate. Thanks for reading! :^)


	3. Pies and Donuts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None! This chapter is all fluff, unless you're uncomfortable with friendship and spiders having bake sales. 
> 
> Sorry for the wait! Midterms are done so I can get back to writing. The next few chapters should come out pretty fast since I'm already writing the next few to catch up on NaNoWriMo.

“You need to put more heart into this, Frisk! Pies are made with care and love,” Toriel instructed as she rolled out some pie dough.

I pursed my lips to hide my displeasure for the task before me. Apparently, Toriel had run out of butterscotch and could not make more of the delicious pie from before. She assured me that she had other ingredients lying around and then took me out to the garden and told me to pick the five biggest snails I could find. I didn’t actually expect her to use them as the filling for the pie and didn’t try to hide my horror when she detailed exactly how I was supposed to “prepare” the snails for the pie. Unable to do what she asked me, I just watched silently as she worked, but she had handed off the task back to me halfway through.

“Keep grinding and add the cinnamon in as you do it. There we go!” She nodded in approval and gave my shoulder a pat. “I knew you could do it. Let me know when the consistency is thinner and the juices are mixed in well!”

I think I threw up in my mouth a little at that point.

Once we were done and the pie was in the oven, I didn’t waste time running out the door. I have been in the Underground for few days now. After those memory flashes, I went back to sleep, only to see more visions in my dreams. The next morning, I approached Toriel with more questions. I only heard the terms in passing, so I wanted clarification on what the Underground and the Ruins really were. As it turned out, long ago, monsters and humans both lived above ground, but war erupted between them. The humans, victorious, sealed the monsters away in what became their new home, the aptly named Underground. The Ruins were just one part of the vast Underground and it was where the first homes were built. But as the Underground expanded, the monsters left the Ruins behind and now only Toriel and a small host of relatively harmless creatures remained.

“Why did you stay in the Ruins?” I asked her at one point, looking up when I got no response. Her eyes glossed over and I involuntarily shivered at the vacant look. After a few moments, she quietly replied with a bittersweet smile. “You just get tired as you get older, you know? It’s nice to retire elsewhere and get away. The Ruins and its inhabitants are peaceful and calm, so what more can an old woman want?”

Whenever I tried to press the subject of getting out, however, Toriel would get distracted and try to change the subject, so I gave up after a while. Her temper would flare whenever Asgore came up in conversation. Despite everything though, I enjoyed talking to her a lot. It helped pass time.

My parents must be worried sick though. I lost my phone in the fall so I had no means of contacting the above world. By now, my car would have been discovered at the foot of Mt. Ebott and my parents would have assumed the worst. However, Toriel’s warning about Asgore didn’t go unheeded, and even though I wanted to leave, I wasn’t willing to take the risk.

Even with Toriel for company, sitting around became boring. I had already read through several of her books, including a large history tome. Some pages were ripped out, which only made me more curious about what Toriel was hiding from me.

I also tried venturing down the stairs in the foyer, but Toriel showed up before I made it down and told me that the downstairs was being renovated. I didn’t believe her, but I climbed the stairs back up. It didn’t escape me that she released a breath when I was back on ground level. I was feeling trapped and needed something interesting to do, so on my third afternoon, I asked Toriel if I could go exploring the Ruins.

She regarded me through her glasses. As I waited for her reply, I shifted my weight between my feet. It still amazed me how miraculous Toriel’s healing had been. I haven’t felt so good in so long; I slept well at night despite the dreams. I also hadn’t experienced anymore manic episodes since the encounter with Flowey. Something did feel different inside of me since then, but I couldn’t place the words to describe the feeling.

Finally, she smiled, closing the book she was reading and standing up from her armchair. “Alright. On two conditions. Wait here.” She bustled off and returned minutes later, holding an old flip phone.  My eyebrows shot up at the sight of the archaic device.

“Firstly, I’m giving you an old phone of mine. It has my number in it already. While you’re outside, feel free to call me if you are lost or need help.” Toriel handed me the phone and I took it, wondering how there was signal down here.

“Secondly, I’m going to accompany you this first time. The Underground is riddled with puzzles and the Ruins are no different. The puzzles often trigger traps if you don’t get through them correctly. Some areas also only open up if you figure out the puzzle behind them. It has always been a past time for monsters to create and solve puzzles, so we incorporated it into our homes. But I want to make sure you’ll be ok on your own, so I’ll lead you through some of the Ruins first.”

Toriel’s concern was really touching, though I found that none of the puzzles were particularly hard. Instructions were posted all over and I had no doubt that Toriel wrote them for unsuspecting travelers. After Toriel saw that I was more than capable of handling myself, she let me go off on my own. It had become routine for me to head off in the morning, but today I left late because I was helping her with the pie.

“Make sure you call if you need anything!” Toriel shouted after me.

“Alright, mom,” I joked, though my heart panged a little from doing so. I was getting a little homesick. Even if I preferred being alone, I did miss my parents.  

Toriel didn’t give any reply and I turned around, worried I had said something wrong. The expression she had was unreadable and a fumbled for an apology. “So-sorry. That might have been a little uncalled for.”

Toriel immediately shook her head, waving her hands frantically. “Oh no no no! It’s fine, dear! I don’t mind. You…you can call me anything you wish.” She gave me a soft smile that I returned. “Now go have fun! The pie will be ready in a couple hours though, so don’t linger out for long!”

I waved and turned back away with a shudder. I wasn’t too eager to rush back for that pie.

Finding a way to alleviate my boredom was only half the reason I wanted to get out. I wanted to see if the places from my memories really existed. That was confirmed almost immediately at the sight of the pillars scattered throughout the halls and the walls covered in red vines. The shock barely lasted a second before a sense of familiarity settled in. Knowing that I had been here before soothed me somehow, like I wasn’t in a totally foreign place. By now, I was accustomed to the overwhelming sense of nostalgia at every moment, which eased any worries I had while venturing through the Ruins. While exploring, not once have I felt out of place or in danger. It was nice.

I encountered one of the frog creatures, called Froggits, from my memories on the first day in the Ruins, but Toriel had sent it off with a stern glare. She then took me to a room with some training dummies. She taught me how to talk to monsters and fend them off without fighting by using the dummies. Honestly, it was all pretty silly and I felt really dumb talking to a dummy, but it made Toriel happy so I dealt with it. Seeing her smile made me happy too.

I thought about the Toriel from my visions. If I really had been here before, how was she alive? Toriel had definitely died by my hands. Had I been mistaking these visions as memories when they were really premonitions? The thought of killing Toriel left a bad taste in my mouth and my hands involuntarily closed into fists. Having awareness of the something, whatever it was, inside of me, made me distrust myself. Maybe I stayed away from Toriel’s house more from the fear that I will find myself with her blood on my hands.

I was so distracted by my pondering that I didn’t take note of what direction I was walking. I was trying to go back to the Spider Bake Sale I saw yesterday after asking Toriel for some money. She happily gave it to me when I told her it was for the spiders and seemed extremely proud of me. I honestly was just curious what kind of snacks spiders could make. I must have taken a wrong turn, however, as nothing looked familiar to me.

With a small sigh, I started backtracking. At least I thought I was backtracking.  It was hard to tell since I had no idea where I was. I hoped a monster would show up soon so I could ask it for directions. However, an hour soon passed and I didn’t seem any less lost so I took a break and sat down against one of the pillars.  I contemplated calling Toriel to bail me out, but I felt like that would worry her more than necessary. She would probably call me soon to summon me home for pie, so I was partially glad that I was lost. At least I wouldn’t be lying if I told her that I was going to be late back.

My eyes caught sight of a small movement over by another pillar. When I looked over, a small flying figure squeaked and ducked behind the pillar. Clearly, it was trying to hide, but its fluttering wings could still be seen since it failed to fully obscure itself. I grinned to myself and waited patiently for the creature to do something.

As expected, it peeked out and saw I was looking at it. It hid again, which elicited a quiet chuckle from me. I had come across a few of these monsters but every time I tried to approach them, they would scream and run away. They would run when I tried to talk too, so I just learned to keep my distance and not make any noise. This might have been the longest one of those little buggers stayed in my presence.

Trying to think of a way to coax it out, I started humming a song. It had been floating around in my head recently because Toriel sings it to herself a lot and I thought it was really pretty. Halfway through the chorus, the little creature poked its head out again. It was in tears and I felt just a little bad for the shy thing. Ever so slowly, it flittered towards me before stopping a few arms’ length away. I continued humming until the end, letting the last note taper off to silence.

The monster was periodically glancing at me, bobbing nervously up and down. While I tried to think of what to do, the little monster burst into tears. Alarmed, my mouth flopped open, any words of consolation dying on my tongue before they got out.

“I-I’m s-sorry!” It stuttered and gave a hiccup.

“What for?” I asked, feeling a little distressed.

With a moan, it continued, “I-I…you stopped singing! It w-was me, wasn’t it? Forgive me!”

I bit my lip awkwardly. “Erm, no, it’s o-”

“I can’t do this. Ooohhhh…” It flew around in a circle, crying loudly.

I immediately started to hum again, hoping it would calm down the little monster. Its wails drowned out my singing at first but after a while it started to quiet to soft sniffles. I just kept singing and watching it. When I finished the song for a second time, I immediately said, “See? It wasn’t because of you. I just finished the song. I can sing it again if you’d like.”

It shook its head with another sniffle before wiping its eyes. It flittered closer and I offered it a soft smile. “What’s your name?”

“Wh-Whimsun.” It gave one loud sniffle, like it was snorting back nose dribble. I tried not to laugh because it straightened its back, trying to put on a brave face.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Whimsun. My name is Frisk,” I replied.

“F-Frisk,” it squeaked, “N-Nice to meet you too!” Its bobbing sped up, though the nervous edge was gone. It actually looked excited. It was waiting expectantly for me to continue the conversation, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t getting a little excited myself.

“I’ve actually seen many like you before. But they all ran away. I’ve talked to a lot of Froggits, but I haven’t talk to many others monsters.” I said. The Froggits were polite and enjoyed compliments and were by far the most pleasant to talk to. Migosps were rather rude when they were around others, but pretty fun when you manage to catch them on their own. My first encounter with Loox didn’t blow by well so I tried to avoid them as much as possible. Moldsmal didn’t do much and Vegetoids made me eat more vegetables than I would have liked. They reminded me a lot of my great-aunt Carly.

“You must have seen my siblings. We are all really shy a-and we aren’t very good at talking to strangers,” Whimsun explained. “B-But we want to! My siblings told me I’m pretty good at talking to others and that I should try to more. So that I’ll be less shy. And um, nervous, and um…uh…”

It started to shake again, so I encouraged, “Well you’re doing great. I’m enjoying myself.”

“R-really?” Whimsun flew closer. “You mean that?”

“Yeah, of course.” I smiled, “I’m new around here, so I don’t really know anyone. Getting to talk to others is nice for me too.”

“Oh, you’re new?” Whimsun hovered around me, hesitating on its next words. “Uh, I could, um, show you around. Maybe?”

My smile widened into a grin and I got up. “Yeah that would be great. Actually, I’m trying to find the spider bake sale. Could you show me the way?”

“Of course! F-Follow me!”

With a twirl, the Whimsun started to bob off in the opposite direction of where I was going to go and flushed a little in embarrassment. As we walked, Whimsun told me about itself and its siblings. I found out that it liked to go by the name Sunny. Apparently, some monster clans, like the Whimsun, don’t give names to their young. Many would just live out their lives without ever using names, instead referring to each other by descriptors like “second oldest sibling” and “the old bug with the crooked wing.” Sunny confided that it had not shared its name with its siblings, fearing ridicule, and I reassured it that Sunny was a fantastic name. Sunny lit up like a Christmas tree at that and kept chattering animatedly.

Once it was comfortable with me, Sunny sure could talk. It talked about wanting to see the rest of the Underground someday but had always been too scared to go out. It told me that it liked to knit since the Ruins were always cold. I also found out that it hated Vegetoid’s vegetables and I burst out laughing at that.

We managed to make to the Spider Bake Sale and I dropped some coins onto the web in the corner. A couple spiders came down with several donuts in return and I offered one to Sunny. As I took a bite out of my snack and watched Sunny happily nibbling away at its donut, I wondered if this was what it was like to have friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised some fluff so here it is. You have no idea how hard it was to contain my urge to write something murderous. :') 
> 
> Next chapter, Frisk is going to be leaving the Underground. Y'all know what that means... :^)
> 
> Spare some kudos and comments to the hungry writer. I enjoy feedback to know how I'm doing! Thanks for reading~


	4. Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mild violence 
> 
> Against my better judgment, I spent all of yesterday writing this chapter instead of doing work. It's longer than my other ones since a lot happens. This is where everything starts picking up! (For real this time)

Hanging out with Sunny became a regular occurrence. I would spend the morning with Toriel talking about various things. She confided that she had always wanted to be a teacher, so I let her teach me about the Underground and anything else she wanted to. Then, I would go out and explore with Sunny. It was a really good guide so I didn’t get lost again. I found lots of little random things scattered around, including a faded red ribbon. I’ve kept my hair at shoulder length as long as I could remember, but sometimes I just needed to pull it back. I didn’t really wear ribbons, but I used it to tie up my hair sometimes when it got in the way.

I also found a little toy knife. It was made of plastic and was very blunt, but it still gave me unpleasant tingles. However, Sunny took a liking to it and took it along. It said the knife helped it feel braver and I just smiled for lack of a better response. In truth, it made me uncomfortable. I’ve been keeping myself distant from any potentially dangerous objects for good measure. I figured as long as weapons didn’t end up in my hands, I wouldn’t be able to use them.

On one of the days, I decided to go back to the spiders again for more donuts and a bottle of their cider. I had wandered really far off into the Ruins today and found another place from my memories. It was a shining blue room with a pedestal in the center with mounds of candy atop it. There was a sign saying to take only one, so Sunny and I both did just that. I was tempted to snag another piece, but I felt a little disgusted with myself for trying to grab another, like I was the scum of the earth. Since my sweet tooth wasn’t satiated, I wanted to stop off at the bake sale on the way back to Toriel’s home.

There was a bridge that I had to cross to get back over to that side of the ruins. It was a lovely thing, covered in crimson leaves that were velvet to the touch. Normally, the area tended to be pretty deserted, but on that particular day, there was a white figure laying down atop the bridge. At first, I thought it was just a sheet and nearly stepped on it. The sheet suddenly let out a rumbling noise and I jumped back in surprise. Sunny shrieked and hid behind me. I crept back over to the sheet and noticed that it had eyes and a mouth. I didn’t actually think ghosts would look like a white sheet with a faced, but that was exactly what this creature was. How peculiar.

They let out another rumbling noise and I realized it must be sleeping because their eyes were closed. They also took up the entire bridge and I didn’t want to accidentally give it a rude awakening. Sunny peeked from around me to get a better look at what stopped us and chirped, “That’s Napstablook! They come down here sometimes to loaf around. They just cry and moan all the time and has no sense of humor.”

Napstablook started to moan and I turned my attention back to them. I caught them with one of their eyes opened just a sliver. They started, eye squeezing shut again. I narrowed my eyes at them, leaning over.

“Hey, you’re not really asleep, are you?” I watched as Napstablook slowly opened both its eyes and slither backwards.

“Ooooohhhh…oh no. You found me out. Oohh…” Napstablook started to cry as I watched awkwardly.

“Er, it’s fine though. I didn’t mind,” I said, but Napstablook didn’t seem to hear me.

They just kept moaning and crying. “Oohhhh is that what people say about me? I don’t blame them. I wish I wasn’t here…” Their tears were flying all over the place and I gingerly dodged. I didn’t know about them, but when other monsters in the underground used magic, and Toriel had warned me that anything monsters emitted, from breaths to tears, could be painful to the touch because of its magical properties. I had an unfortunate run in with a couple of agitated Moldsmals and got a few bruises from pellets they fired. Luckily, none of Napstablook’s tears hit me but I still wanted to make them stop.

I remembered how Toriel really enjoyed telling jokes and terrible puns and had a whole book of them. I blurted out the first one that came to my mind. “Why did the snail cross the road?”

Napstablook’s tears calmed a little when he heard my joke and just moaned, “I don’t know.”

“I don’t either, but I’ll let you know once it gets over there.” I delivered the punchline and could practically hear the rim shot. It was one of the worst jokes and I was a little ashamed of telling it, but Napstablook’s mouth turned up a little bit.

“Ahah. Heh. That was pretty good,” they said. I deadpanned a little. They really did have a lousy sense of humor.

“Er, today I took my snail buddy home with me. She looked at my house and told me, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t want to have to carry this on my back.’”

Napstablook smiled at me and gave a small laugh. “Haha. Let me show you something…”

They started to cry again and I was worried that I made them feel worse, but instead of flying outwards, the tears accumulated above their head, forming a shape of a top hat. Admittedly, it was a pretty cool trick.

“What do you think?” Napstablook lifted their head a little. “I call this...Dapperblook.”

It was Sunny who piped up, “T-That’s cool!”

Napstablook swished around in a small, muted dance before letting the hat fall. They said, “Ahhh, thanks for talking to me. And telling me I’m cool. No one ever calls me that. Oohhh…” They started to float away. “Bye…”

With that, Napstablook was gone. I gave myself a few moments to absorb that strange encounter. Sunny flittered around me. “Wow, they were cooler than I thought. Eldest sibling and third youngest sibling were wrong about them!”

“Well I’m glad you enjoyed that.” Napstablook seemed nice enough, but I felt drained by their presence, like I was losing all will to be positive and productive. My encounter with Napstablook was pushed to the corner of my mind, however, once I reached the bake sale. I returned to Toriel’s house with my arms chock full of donuts and cider. She chided me a little for ruining my appetite and I had the decency to be a little ashamed.  

* * *

 

A week in the Underground came and went without any significant happenings. Nearing the end of the second week, I was sitting in the living room reading again while Toriel cooked. However, I had been reading the same sentence over and over again for the past few minutes. My mind was preoccupied with renewed worry about my parents and about my fate. Finally, I sighed and closed the book and set it down on the armchair. I padded over to the kitchen door and called, “Hey Toriel?”

She glanced at me over her shoulder with a warm smile. “Yes, dear?”

I licked my lips. “So I’ve seen all of the Ruins.”

“Ah yes. Your little friend – Sunny right?” I nodded to her question and she continued, “It showed you around? Did you get to see a lot?”

“Yeah, I did.” I walked into the kitchen. Toriel was cutting up some vegetables to make a pot pie. She really liked making pies. “But now I’ve seen all of it. But,” I took a short breath. “I couldn’t find an exit. And I was wondering…”

I started to fidget, realizing that Toriel had stopped cutting. I continued, “Can I really not leave? I mean, my parents are probably worried by now. And-”

“Deary, can you pass me the carrots?” Toriel interrupted me and I closed my mouth. Quietly, I picked up the carrots before trying to speak again.

“I mean, I’m getting worried too, and I can’t really stay her-”

“But why not?” Toriel interrupted again and I pursed my lips. “Do you not like your room? Is it my food? Do you need more money for the bake sale? I can fix anything if you ask me.”

“No, no, your food is great. The room is really nice and I have more donuts than I know what to do with. That’s not the point, I-”

“Why don’t you go read another book in my living room? Surely you haven’t exhausted my collection yet.”

I let out a hiss in a voice that I didn’t quite recognize. “I’m not backing down this time.”

An unsettling silence fell over the kitchen. Toriel set down her knife and wiped her hands on her apron.

“I seem to have forgotten something. Hold on, I’ll be back. Stay here.” Toriel said abruptly, a hard edge in her tone. She brushed past me at a brisk pace and I felt irritation bubbling within me as I whipped around and started following her.

“Wait, Tori-”

“I said,” Toriel spun around, eyes flashing harshly, “Stay. Here.”

I reeled indignantly but remained still as she disappeared into the foyer. I heard sounds of footsteps descending stairs. Red was creeping into the edges of my vision and I didn’t realize that my feet were carrying me after Toriel.

I found myself inside a long purple corridor at the base of the stairs. There was nothing in the corridor, save the occasion light. There were no renovations down here. I realized that Toriel had tricked me and this must have been the exit to the Ruins. Where else to hide the exit than where I began every day? 

I burst out into a run, my feet echoing thunderously in the hall. Fear, exhilaration, anger, and betrayal rumbled in my mind. My arms and feet felt heavy, the world pressing down on me. I eventually came to the end of the corridor and saw Toriel at the end with her back to me. Before her was a great door with the same emblem that was on her robes. I slowed to a walk before stopping completely a few paces from her.

“This is the exit to the Ruins.” Toriel’s voice boomed in the large room. “I don’t believe I ever told you, but I am the caretaker of the Ruins. That means that no one enters or exits without me knowing. And now, no one will be able to, because I am destroying this door.”

“What?” I squawked, taking a step forward. “You can’t do that!”

“And why not? So I can let you go and rush to your death at Asgore’s hands? The Underground beyond these doors is not a safe place for humans. You are much better off here. You’ll be happy! Am I not enough?” Desperation crept into her voice and she turned around. She looked distressed, but as her eyes fell onto me, her pleading look melded into one of caution. “What are you doing with that knife?”

I suddenly became aware of a weight clutched in my right hand and my eyes drifted downwards. The kitchen knife glinted in the dim lighting of the room and all I could do was stare dumbfounded at the weapon. I wasn’t even of aware of when I had picked it up, but before I could ponder more, my arm raised and pointed the knife straight at Toriel.

Her mouth was ajar with shock as she asked, “Are you really like the rest of them?” When I offered no reply, her eyes hardened. “Very well. Prove to me that you can handle yourself out there. But if you cannot…” She took a step forward, “You shall never leave these Ruins.”

Flames burst forth from Toriel’s hands, but I stood my ground. Fireballs danced all around, filling the air with sweltering heat. I took a step forward and a fireball soared straight for me. I side-stepped it and another shot forward. I weaved through the assault of flames, getting a step closer with each movement. I was faintly aware of the other thing’s presence as I twirled between fireballs, compelling me closer to Toriel. It was like a stranger in my body. My grip on the knife involuntarily tightened. Between tongues of flame, I see glimpses of Toriel’s cold glare and I hesitated slightly when the same image from my memory flashed through my mind.

A fireball caught me on my arm and I yelped. But a moment later, the pain disappeared and my mind went blank. By the time I realized what was happening again, my body was no longer in my control. This time, instead of dancing, I fought. Fireballs were deflected by my blade and I advanced towards Toriel. She kept firing attack after attack at me to no avail. A few flames grazed me, but they felt ice cold compared to the first hit.

I continued to make my way towards Toriel. The attacks got more intense and frequent, but not a single one managed to hit me. When I was within range of Toriel, she erected a wall of flame between us and I lost sight of her. When the fire dissipated, she was a distance away. The hard stony expression was still on her face as she spoke. “Turn around. Go back to your room.”

“Oh but Toriel, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Don’t you want to cherish this moment?” I said with the stranger’s voice from before.

Toriel’s eyes widened and she faltered from her glare. During her hesitation, I shot forward, knife ready. Toriel caught herself in time to make another wall of flame and I ran to the side to go around it. She was ready with more flames, but again, none of them hit me. Suddenly, the flames started to converge around me and I found myself wrapped up in a vortex. There was no feasible exit and the flames started to close in on me. Innate instinct awoke inside me and I started to panic, but the stranger’s voice sounded within me.

_She won’t hurt you. The old bat is too weak to kill you. You have nothing to fear from her. Walk forward._

I took one step, two steps towards the flames. With the third step, the fire started to falter. The vortex parted as I continued until I was out of the flames. I met Toriel’s gaze, which was full of resignation. The flames tapered and fizzled out as I walked forward, armed hand swinging back and forth.

I stopped just short of Toriel, looking up at her. She let her hands drop to her side and bowed her head. “I can’t do it. I don’t even know what to say anymore.” She gave me a melancholic smile. “Did you hate me this much?”

“Goodbye, Toriel,” the stranger said, bringing the knife up.

As the knife came down, I saw flashes of Toriel’s face in my mind with the same resigned smile. _“I understand now,” she said. “I know I can’t keep you here. It’s funny, how I couldn’t even save one human ch-”_

_And then I stabbed her. Utter astonishment melted into anguished betrayal as she crumpled around the knife protruding from her chest. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily. She let out a single breathless laugh, and then another, before she was laughing uncontrollably. “Ahaha. HAHAHA. You. You…” She looked up, crazed smile on her face. “All this time. I thought I was protecting you from them. But in reality…” She collapsed onto her side, laughing weakly as she locked eyes with me. “I was protecting them from you.”_

I saw Toriel’s eyes flash fear for a split second and the knife jolted to a stop inches away from her. I gritted my teeth and wrestled for control back.

_What’s wrong?_ The stranger asked. _Why did you stop? Don’t you want to get out? She’s in your way. She’s just another obstacle to get rid of._

I ignored them, pulling the knife back towards me.

_Kill her._

I grinded my teeth and continued to fight against them.

_KILL HER._

With a strangled cry, I swung the knife right across my arm, ripping open a large gash along the length of it. The stranger’s voice dissolved and excruciating pain swept through my body. The knife fell from my hands and I would have fallen if Toriel hadn’t caught me. My ears were ringing too loudly to hear what she was saying to me and I could only whimper in response. She lowered me gently to the ground and gingerly held my injured limb up.

In my daze, it took me a while to realize that the pain was slowly ebbing away. Through blurry vision, I saw a green glow enveloping my arm. Toriel was healing me. I just tried to kill her and she was healing me.

Numbness settled in my veins and I tiredly looked up at Toriel. Her eyes were only full of unadulterated concern, without a single trace of anger, fear, or betrayal. I breathed a soft sigh of relief, murmuring, “I’m sorry.”

“What was that, Frisk?” She ran a hand through my hair and I pressed into her touch. “Who was that?” There was a knowing look in her eyes and I grasped desperately at it.

“Do you know who that is?” I cried, “Why are they doing this? Why do I want to kill all the time?”

Toriel regarded me sadly. “I don’t know.”

“You’re lying,” I whimpered, “I know you are. Why won’t you tell me?”

Toriel gave no answer, letting the heavy silence fall.  At this point, I knew I would never get anything out of her. Eventually, I mumbled, “I can’t stay here.”

“…I know.” She stroked my hair again. “I understand.”

“I need to leave this place. I need to get out of the Underground. I can’t stay here.” I sank deeper into her arms, eyes slowly drifting close. I was feeling so sleepy, but I was afraid of relinquishing control back to the stranger in my head. The last sensation I felt was a tight embrace before I fell asleep, safely tucked away in Toriel’s arms.

* * *

 

I awoke to warm blankets and the smell of butterscotch and cinnamon again. I took my time getting out of bed before making my way to the kitchen. I walked slowly, afraid to face Toriel but also trying to come to terms with what happened.

However, Toriel was nowhere in sight. Instead, I found two slices of butterscotch pie and a note written in neat handwriting.

_Dear Frisk,_

_I hope you slept well. I went out and got a few more ingredients to make another pie. Cinnamon is a little pricey right now, but I figured you would appreciate a couple more slices of pie before you head out. Please take them with you. Feel free to take anything from your room as well. The land right outside the exit to the Ruins is covered in snow. I know that sweater of yours is a little thin so make sure you bundle up!_

_I’ll be away for most of the day. I’m fine though, so don’t worry too much. Take care of yourself and good luck. Thank you for keeping me company for the past week. Remember what I taught you and trust in yourself to do good. I believe in you._

_Love,_

_Toriel_

My lips trembled and I wiped away little tears that sprung from my eyes. I folded the note up and tucked it away in my pocket. I wrapped the pie up and put it away in the backpack I’ve been using. I put on another sweater and a scarf I found in the wardrobe. As I turned off the light in my room, I turned around and gazed at it for a moment longer. Then I closed the door behind me with a soft click and made my way to the foyer.

There was one last thing I wanted to do. I trekked through the Ruins to Sunny’s place. It greeted me excitedly.

“You’re early today! Woah, you’re dressed more than usual. What’s going on?” It appraised my winter wear and I smiled a little.

“I’m going out. I’m leaving the Ruins today. I came to say good bye.”

Sunny fell silent. Its wings slowed down and it drooped. “Y-You’re leaving? Going out of the Ruins?”

“Yeah.” I shuffled my feet. I haven’t made a friend in so long and hadn’t expected the farewells to be…hard. “It’s time. I’ve been here for a while, but I need to go now.”

Then it started to cry. I watched helplessly as my friend shed tear after tear. “B-But! We just met! I was finally having fun and breaking o-out of my sh-shell a-and…” Sunny wailed louder and I was at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry. I wish there was some way that you can come with m-”

I paused, an idea sparking. “Wait! That’s it! Sunny!”

It looked at me, trying to put a brave face as I continued. “Do you want to join me? I know you are comfortable here and have a family, but didn’t you say you wanted to go explore outside the Ruins? See more of the Underground? I could use a travel companion.” Part of me was telling me this was a bad idea and that I was liable to go on a rampage again. Sunny would be in danger at that point. But some part of me wanted to cling onto this nice feeling of companionship.

Sunny looked like it was taking the idea into consideration. It sniffled, wiping away more tears. “Really? Y-You would take me along?”

“Yeah, I would.” I breathed. “Would you like to come? Join me on this adventure?”

“I-I…” Sunny started to flitter faster. “You really think I can do it? That I can go out?”

I grinned, feeling more animated by the second. “Yeah. Yeah I do. What do you say? Let’s go see what the Underground has to show us?”

“Yeah…yeah. Yeah! YEAH! L-Let’s go! On an adventure! Through the Underground!” It quivered with excitement, smiling brightly. “Wait here! I’m going to just grab a few things.”

It flew away at top speed and I only managed to yell at it to bring some of its knitted articles of clothing along before it was out of sight. Sunny wasn’t gone long and within minutes, we were heading back to Toriel’s house. I was hoping that Toriel had returned, but the house was empty. I pulled out my cellphone, tempted to call her. But she left without seeing me and I figured she needed time alone. I slowly put my phone back in my pocket before descending the stairs.

I walked in silence down the corridor, listening to the sound of my footsteps and Sunny’s beating wings. When I stood back before the door, I took a deep breath. “Ready?”

Sunny nodded nervously, flittering around behind me. I walked forward, pushing heavily against the large doors. They creaked open and I found myself peering into another dark cavern with an opening at the opposite end. A cold breeze blew through but instead of shivering, I breathed in an excited breath. This was it. This was the exit.

I took a step forward, and another. It became colder with each step and I could see snow carpeting the cavern exit.

A faint giggle echoed in my mind. However, I squared my shoulder and walked straight out of the cavern. I didn’t look back and kept going forward, one step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story is going to diverge a lot from the original plot from here on out. I know this seemed like it was going to just be a remake, but I intend to make it really different. Let's see how it goes! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated! :^)

**Author's Note:**

> Updates should be pretty consistent if I'm trying to get 50k words out by the end of November. Hopefully. Man, I told myself not to start a chapter fic without planning it out all the way first...I really hope I don't run into plot holes. :') Else I'll be taking a dive into the Underground myself.
> 
> Please leave a comment if you have some time! I like getting feedback, even if it's to tell me if something is wrong, haha.


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